A fundamental concept that is central to physics and engineering, work is the application of force over distance. It’s the energy expended when you lift or move something, and is often measured in units like joules and kilocalories. In everyday life, we see work all around us: the effort it takes to lug a heavy book up a shelf; the physical exhaustion from running a marathon; the energy required for the rotation of a refrigerator motor.
While people often use the term “work” to describe a variety of tasks, there is only one kind of work in a scientific sense. To be work in the mathematical sense, a force must exert itself over a displacement, and the relative directions of the force and displacement determine whether the work is positive, negative, or zero.
Consider the force on a ball in uniform circular motion sideways: Its external forces, such as those exerted by the supporting pulley, cancel and do no work; its internal centripetal force, on the other hand, exerts itself against the direction of the motion and does work. When the ball is released from the pulley, its centrifugal force accelerates it away from the center of rotation, causing it to spin. The amount of work done is equal to the product of its mass, m, and the angular velocity of the body,
If an object with weight mg falls vertically down a distance y2 – y1, the gravitational force does positive work on the object, as it moves its mass downwards over the change in height y2. Conversely, if an object with weight g is thrown upwards from rest over a horizontal distance y1, the gravity does negative work on the object as it moves its mass upwards over the change in height y1 – y2.
As you can see, there is more to redefining work than changing where or how people sit at a desk or what technology tools are used. Management systems, work environments, operations, leadership and management capabilities, compensation systems, and performance management practices must all be rethought to support a true paradigm shift in the way we think about work.
The future of work may mean less time spent in a corporate office or more time working from home; it might mean more team meetings and face-to-face conversations, or it could mean the elimination of pointless commutes and long hours that waste energy, make you sick, or cause stress. Whatever the new definition of work turns out to be, it will likely affect everyone in your organization and beyond. It will change how you value your time, your skills and abilities, and the relationships you build with others. It will help you think about the ways that work has changed you, and how you can change it back. It will likely give you the discipline, wisdom, and skills to navigate an ever-changing landscape. And perhaps most importantly, it will change the ways that you look at the world.
